The invention concerns a load carrier intended for fitting to the rear of a motor vehicle.
More specifically, the invention concerns a load carrier equipped with a system of fixing to a rear part of a vehicle comprising the following or equivalent means:                a longitudinal arm, one end of which is capable of co-operating with a sleeve solidly connected to an element of the structure of the vehicle,        a lever, one end of which is mounted such that it can rotate, with respect to the arm, on a transverse pin carried by the end of the arm,        a return means incorporated between the lever and the arm, exerting a force directed from the arm to the lever,        a means of locking the fixing system.        
It is increasingly commonplace to equip the rear of motor vehicles with load carriers such as bicycle carriers. However, these bicycle carriers must have a fixing system which is both easy and quick to use. The fixing system must also be safe and must not create a risk of accidental or intentional separation of the bicycle carrier.
From publication no. WO-A-03039912, we know a bicycle carrier, which has a fixing system comprising two longitudinal arms, the end of each of these arms being suitable for insertion into a sleeve carried by an element of the structure of the vehicle. One end of a lever is mounted such that it rotates on a pin carried by the end of the arm. The lever also comprises a groove intended for co-operation with a finger incorporated in the sleeve. A return means is incorporated between the arm and the free end of the lever. The fixing system also comprises a locking screw, intended for co-operation with a hole contrived in the lever, and a thread contrived in the arm, each found on either side of the return means.
Thus, when a user inserts the arm into the sleeve, the lever rotates downwards on the pin and is stressed until the finger penetrates automatically the groove and remains in place under the effect of the return means. The locking screw enables the lever to be kept in tension to prevent the fixing system from separating accidentally.
However, this fixing system has a disadvantage: the locking system, which requires a certain tightening force, is not easy to use. For example, people with only little strength in their hands or else users wearing gloves in cold weather, for example, will not succeed in tightening sufficiently the locking means which, with vibration, is then at risk of loosening completely. The load carrier, whose fixing is unlocked, can then separate from the vehicle and cause a danger.